The European Commission proposed a temporary emergency regulation to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy within the plan to end the European Union’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
Measures to loosen the administrative procedures were already addressed in the REPowerEU plan, but the situation in the energy markets has worsened since then, prompting the need for urgent action, according to the EU’s executive body. It said the new rules would be introduced for one year by the European Council, to bridge the gap until the new Renewable Energy Directive comes into force.
“By doing so, we can unblock a myriad of renewable projects already in the next 12 months. According to calculations by the IEA, we could replace 14 billion cubic meters of gas already next year,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, pointing out that the International Energy Agency has highlighted a risk of a shortage of 30 billion cubic meters of gas ahead of the start of the heating season next year.
The EU is set to add 50 GW this year from renewables, two times more than in 2021, she stressed and expressed the ambition to boost the additions to 100 GW next year.
“There are countless renewable projects that are just waiting to be approved. Some could deliver cheap energy immediately, in a matter of weeks or months. I am thinking, for instance, about solar panels on existing buildings, or the repowering of wind parks. But too many of these projects are stuck because of long permitting procedures,” Von der Leyen stated.
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